Connected Nation Receives Excellence in Economic Development Award from the International Economic Development Council

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Oct 23, 2020, 09:00 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Connected Nation won a Gold Rank for its Digital Works Website, a project in the category of Special Purpose Website of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). The honor was presented last week at an awards ceremony during the IEDC Annual Conference.

IEDC's Excellence in Economic Development Awards recognize the world's best economic development programs and partnerships and the year's most influential leaders.

"Nothing is more central to economic development than the existence of gainful employment— a reality made infinitely more probable when multiple stakeholders come together to this end. For this reason, partnerships have always been at the core of the Digital Works program. We work with more than 70 companies nationwide to provide both training and job placement assistance for telework positions," said Tom Ferree, Chairman & CEO, Connected Nation. "Remote work has so many positive ramifications—from providing jobs to those living in rural areas to helping military spouses find positions that can move with them to improving the tax base for struggling communities. Our challenge was finding a way to make accessing this program even easier for more people and communities—which is why we worked to streamline our website and make it more user-friendly while, at the same time, shifting to an all virtual approach during the pandemic."

The IEDC awards feature 35 categories that honor organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in urban, suburban, and rural communities. Awards are judged by a diverse panel of economic and community developers from around the world, following a nomination process held earlier this year. IEDC received over 500 submissions from 4 countries.

"The winners of IEDC's Excellence in Economic Development awards represent the very best of economic development and exemplify the ingenuity, integrity, and leadership that our profession strives for each and every day," said 2020 IEDC Board Chair and One Columbus CEO Kenny McDonald. "We're honored to recognize the more than 100 communities whose marketing campaigns, projects and partnerships have measurably improved regional quality of life."

Digital Works (DW) launched the new, more user-friendly website in January 2020 to better help people and communities reach their digital training and job placement goals. The program falls in line Connected Nation's mission to find innovative solutions to expand the access, adoption, and use of high-speed internet and its related technologies to everyone.

The Digital Works site was revamped with the help of partner, Hatfield Media. The marketing agency provided website design expertise, support, and guidance throughout the development of the improved website.

"We believe in the mission to deliver high speed internet accessibility to everyone in the United States. Geographical isolation should not prevent anyone from accessing the internet," said Drake Hatfield, President & CEO, Hatfield Media. "Connected Nation's mission is even more critical in these times of isolation. On behalf of everyone at Hatfield Media, it continues to be a pleasure to work with everyone at Connected Nation."

To learn more about Digital Works head to digitalworksjobs.org.

SOURCE Connected Nation